Radio Code and ADI/DSP files

[w0fg]

Can someone give me a good explanation, or provide a link to an LBI, of just what information is contained in the radio code and adi/dsp files; what the most current versions are for the M-RK series radios, and whether the RAM size affects the selection of update levels? I'm working with a group of radios I recently accquired and they seem to have a variety of file editions installed.

 

[MR-EDACS]

Please see the attached pdf file maybe some one will make this a sticky to go with the feature list.

 

[Muxlow]

If one was to call M\A Com and ask for the newest radio codes would they charge for that? Or are they "free" upgrades?

 

[ElroyJetson]

Just call and ask. they COULD say NO, but that's about it.


Get into the habit of reading and saving the radio code and DSP out of EVERY radio that
you get your hands on. And of course, also save its personality, its tracking data, and its feature string, too, just for backup's sake.

Elroy

 

[Muxlow]

Thats what i do. When ever i get something new or anything. Iv got 4 orions a few with aegis and vge, des, vgs. Save everythign to a jump drive. Bunch of mrks and mpa's
dont have programming cables for my other 2 radios thou.

 

[ElroyJetson]

I had a bad learning experience with this stuff once. Fortunately, I only lost the feature string out of ONE radio. And it had other serious problems as well. But it was a Jaguar 700P.

I guess I could dig it out and call m/a-com with the ESN and ask for the string as it was programmed at the factory.

Here's a quick technician's tip: Most M/A-Com radios are serialized by Dallas/Maxim DS2401 Silicon Serial Number chips. They're smallish devices in a 3-lead package that
you might first mistake for a power transistor but they'll say DS2401 on them.

Those chips are laser-programmed at the factory and can NOT be edited.

But...

If you have a radio with a nice feature package which has some other problems that are
resisting repair efforts, and you can extract the feature string from it, then you can
transfer the DS2401 into another radio and transfer the feature string as well via the
radio maintenance program.

You'd do this if you had a loaded radio that doesn't work and a more basic radio that does,
so as to give the loaded feature package to the working radio.

And if you can't read the feature string out of the damaged radio, there's still a way to
do it. Extract the DS2401 from the dead radio, put it into a good radio temporarily,
read the ESN, make a note of it. Call m/a-com and ask for the feature string that should
go with that ESN. Make a note of that, too. Program that in and see what features that
gives you. If you don't care for it, remove the chip and put the original one back in,
and store the chip with a note on the feature string and options in it.

I BELIEVE that it makes not the slightest difference if the DS2401 comes from an M-RK,
an LPE, an Orion, a Jaguar, a 5100, a 7100, or a 7200. Except to note that a 5100 is
very likely to have the limited expansion option in it almost every time. (Option 30)
All of these radios use the same central architecture, and the feature string info from
one of them should work fine in any other so long as it accompanies the correct ESN chip.

As a very interesting side note, I've seen a 7100 working normally which had NO ESN chip
in it. Serial number was 000000. The codeplug was purely conventional only, so it didn't
call for features it couldn't access.



Elroy

 

[groftcc]

What does option 30 actually limit?

Craig

 

[ElroyJetson]

I believe it places a hard limit on the number of trunked systems and groups that can be in the radio. There may be other limitations as well, but I'm not clear on exactly what.

The way I see it, a 5100 is a 7100 with a simpler software package and a lower price,
so the difference in price between a 5100 and a 7100, which I believe are part-for-part
identical internally, is a matter of pure profit.

Elroy

 

[JungleJim]

Two things

one, flash code is the operating software. The MRK and Orion use the ADI files for their Aegis analog/digital conversions in digital mode only. The Orion has a DSP file for provoice. These don't need an ADI (dsp) file unless they're running digital. On the LPE/Jag/7100 radios they use their DSP full time, it generates CG, data, beeps and alert tones, etc. and they use a DSP file. If you corrupt your flash code (can be done accidentally in reprogramming. Don't fear, programmer and radio maintenance may say you have no tracking data (and feature data) but its still there. Without the flash code the software cant find the data. Recover the radio in radio maintenance but when it asks you if you want to clear the EEPROM tell it NO! 99% of the time its just fine. You will have to reprogram the personality though.

two, Option 30 on the P5100s and LPE50 limits you to 128 system/groups and no system keypad. It also blocks out encrypted audio (provoice/Aegis OK but not DES or AES), and with out encrypted audio you won't need OTAR. FIPS140-2 security is gone, and direct frequency entry (like any of us would ever have a chance to see that anyway). The radio is the same as a 7100, uses the same software and hardware, excluding the color of the front cover.